In less than a month, the broadcast networks will roll out their new shows for Fall 2009 season.  Among them are NBC’s Mercy, ABC’s Flash Forward, CBS’s The Good Wife, FOX’s Glee, and the CW’s Melrose Place.  With new shows comes the barrage of promotion, via television, radio, online ads, outdoor billboards, and within magazines/newspapers.   Resistance is futile.  Thou shall not escape the networks’ attempts to help you “learn” about these new shows.   Or maybe, just maybe, thou have.

Earlier this year, Accenture released its Global Broadcast Consumer Survey titled “Television: Entering the Era of Mass Fragmentation”.   The report highlights the ways in which consumers learn about new television content.  Of those polled, ads/promos garnered the highest response representing 40% of the group, followed by channel surfing (33%), and friends/family (30%).  More recent methods such as blogs, web content stores, mobile ads, and DVR/PVR recommendations were towards the end of the pack with 8%, 6%, 5%, and 2% respectively. 

In view of this Accenture’s survey results, it would seem that networks can’t afford to not reach all potential television viewers when it comes to on-air promotion.   That is, however, exactly what is happening. 

Note: Data from TNS Media Research’s Charter LA.  Time period: 2008-2009 episodes of the show’s most recently completed season.

 The table shows that less than half of potential viewers have been reached with an on-air promotion for any network’s new program.  These numbers will improve as the season approaches and finally begins, but as the following chart shows, even last season there was still a large population of viewers that had not seen a single promotion.

Note: Data from TNS Media Research’s Charter LA.  Time period: 2008-2009 episodes of the show’s most recently completed season.

Marketers are not reaching a large portion of the television viewing audience.  That a sizeable percentage of the potential audience does not see a promotion creates a downward spiral.  If you don’t see a promotion, chances are you won’t know about the program.  If you don’t know about the program, then you can’t watch it.  And if you don’t watch it, then ratings might decrease. 

The solution to this problem is simple.  Networks must increase their promotional reach prior to program launch and maintain it during the program season. 

A conversation from The Sandlot (1993) humorously illustrates the point of this issue, showing that people can’t consume something they know nothing about.  

Ham Porter: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s’more?

Smalls: Some more of what?

Ham Porter: No, do you wanna s’more?

Smalls: I haven’t had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?